Corruption
by AgentMandark
Summary: It’s the year of 2019, and the world is at its last breath. Mysterious deaths are occurring all over the globe, “vampire” sightings are rising, and there’s a rumor of some “Pravus” enacting an ancient prophecy…
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I am not Auntie Heather Brewer—therefore, I do not own Vladimir Todd, nor am I its creator. I do, however, own a laptop and a Fanfiction account—giving me access to writing Vladimir Todd stories.**

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**Date: September 5th, 2019. (Present Day)**

**Time: 11:00 P.M. **

**Location: A secret, hidden base 5,000 feet below Russia.**

"D'Ablo!" roared the dark figure. He sat at the throne, his attire all black and threatening—matching the dark and nearly pitch-black room. The room was spacious, and the walls were aligned with bookshelves containing nearly every book imaginable. No lights were placed in this room, seeing as they weren't needed. Vampires had impeccable night vision, and in the immortal world—darkness was their ally.

"Where is he?!" the same dark figure shouted, his impatience growing with every second that passed by. His servant looked at him, unnerved, and replied in the most indifferent and monotonous voice, "I believe he's still running your errand, Master." The 'Master' growled furiously, and seethed angrily, his fangs just itching to pop out. D'Ablo was late for their meeting…_again_…and if he kept at it, D'Ablo just might be someone's next dinner.

In a smoother, but still annoyed voice, the ill-tempered vampire asked, "How long does it take to run a stupid _errand_?"

The servant looked at him again, and his eyes portrayed his words. The vampire's assistant was used to this type of behavior, and after enduring it for years, he'd improved his skill at soothing his boss.

"Calm, Master. He will arrive any moment."

Mumbling in an immature matter, the vampire replied, "Whatever."

His pale hands rubbed his temples, and he ran them through his jet-black, emo-cut hair frustratingly. He knew he should've been a bit easier on D'Ablo; D'Ablo _had_ taken him in many years ago, when he was desperate for a place to call 'home'. In a way, he sort of had a dept to pay back to D'Ablo…one that could cost him his life someday.

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, he returned to his normal position, and bottled up his emotions—just like D'Ablo had taught him. Emotions were a weakness, one that most of everyone shared. They caused you to do insane, unspeakable things, and were a major drawback in the world of power. The less you exposed—the more powerful you became. Luckily for him, he had disposed of his emotions years ago.

Suddenly, the wooden door in the far corner creaked, and inside stepped D'Ablo—his face and appearance the same as it was hundreds of years ago. The vampire in the throne grinned, and sat up, muttering, "Finally!" D'Ablo closed the door behind him, and strode up to the 'Master', bowing down once he was within a 10-foot-radius.

"Sire, I request permission to speak."

"As you wish," granted the other vampire.

Standing up again, D'Ablo spoke. "My Lord, may I comment that your brilliant plan is working flawlessly? All the humans in Europe are already under our control. Some generals from Asia and Australia have reported back. They bring just as good news as the others."

Content with the progress of his plan, the Lord nodded, and said, "Very well."

"Also," D'Ablo added. "If the plan keeps up at this rate, the Americas will be ours in no time."

"'Ours'?" the vampire repeated disbelievingly.

"Please forgive me, Sir—the Americas will be _yours_ in no time." D'Ablo corrected.

Satisfied with his answer, the 'Master' nodded again, and smiled. At that moment, a plan was formulating in his mind—one he was sure would not fail. And, not only would he finally fulfill his destiny, but he'd take a little visit to some 'old friends' as well.

"You are dismissed."

Bowing loyally once more, D'Ablo saluted his boss, and began walking away. However, right before he reached the door, the soon-to-be ruler of all humanity called, "Oh? And D'Ablo?"

D'Ablo turned, waiting for instructions.

"Last-minute plan: pack my bags, and book the soonest plane flight to the United States for me, would you?"

D'Ablo furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What?...Where? Why?"

Smiling evilly, the vampire's fangs elongated and flashed in the darkness, and his purple eyes glowed mysteriously. "I'm going to pay a visit to some friends in Bathory…"

D'Ablo nearly stuttered in appall. He masked his shock and replied jokingly, "As you wish…you _are _the Pravus, after all."

Vladimir Todd smiled that sickeningly sweet smile of his and commanded, "Excellent. Now, hurry! Wouldn't want to be late!"

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**Author's Note- Wow…I can't believe I had the confidence to post this up!**

**;-)**

**So…any thoughts on Vlad's beginning to his fulfillment of his 'destiny'? Questions? All will be answered in due time…**

**Constructive criticism and opinionated reviews will be taken into appreciation.**

**~Amanda**


	2. Chapter 1

**Mini-Author's-Note: For the record, Bathory is not a real town. Thus, when I looked it up to see if I could find what state it was in—there were no results (So I made it up). If Auntie Heather wrote the state somewhere in the book, then correct me if I'm wrong.**

**I personally don't like this chapter. But, it contains vital information, so bear with me.**

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**Date: September 6th, 2019**

**Time: 11:12 A.M.**

**Location: A news building in Bathory, New Jersey.**

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"You must understand, I need to do well on this interview—"

"Hey, sweetie, how was your day at school?"

"Guess what? Bathory High won the home-coming game!"

The Bathory News office was buzzing with chatter that morning, as it usually did. Newbies were anxious about their job interview; Secretaries were on the job; Moms checked in on their children during their lunch break; and the proud parent of a Bathory High jock gloated about how their son participated in the winning game.

Same old; Same old.

"Oh my god—Meredith, you will _not_ believe the latest victim's story!"

News reporter, Meredith Brookstone, peered up curiously at her best friend, cocking an eyebrow inquiringly. Chloe was an unusual woman, to say the least—rather than going shopping, hitting on guys, and getting drunk on Saturday nights like any 25-year-old, she was much more engrossed in the most recent shockers in the news and investigations. But, if anything, it made her more interesting to be around.

"What happened now?" Meredith asked.

Taking a deep breath, Chloe started off, "Okay, so you know how there's been some mass-murderer killing people all over the globe, right? And how, supposedly, people have been seeing _vampires_?"

Rolling her eyes, Meredith responded, "Who hasn't?"

"Well…" Chloe sang in a sing-song voice, "Just so happens that the latest victim of the world-wide-mass-murderer had _puncture marks_ on their _neck_. And, even better, the entire body was drained of _all the blood_."

Feeling triumphant, Chloe crossed her arms over her chest in victory, plastering a smirk on her face. "So, still think that vampires are a myth?"

Meredith chuckled bemusedly. "Duh."

Unlike Chloe, Meredith didn't have a tolerance for the unknown and the supernatural. When something involving "vampires" or "magic" was on the news, Meredith would simply change the channel, refusing to believe any of the ridiculous nonsense. Really, vampires? It was just a myth—a myth used to frighten people and attract customers to buy the newspapers in the morning. As if vampires actually _existed_.

Chloe glared. "One of these days, vampires are going to reveal themselves to the world, and you're going to feel so stupid after realizing that I was right."

Meredith nodded absentmindedly and was interrupted by her secretary calling out to her, "Ms. Brookstone. Line 4 waiting for you in your office. Whoever is on the phone won't give his name and says he needs to talk to you…"

Meredith's face lightened up. "Hold on a sec," she said to Chloe. "I gotta take this."

As if knowing who the caller was, Chloe rolled her eyes and guessed, "Ooh, don't tell me. It's Sam, isn't it?" Meredith narrowed her eyes at Chloe and sent her a warning glance before walking into her office, picking up the phone in the receiver, and saying happily into the phone, "Hey, Sam, what's up?"

On the other end of the line, a young, male voice said nervously, "Hey, Mere."

Meredith detected the hesitance in his answer and she could practically feel the uneasiness radiating off the phone. Slowly, Meredith questioned, "Sam…is something wrong?"

"Well…" Sam paused momentarily. "It's um…about the plans for tonight."

Smiling hopefully, Meredith asked, "It's still on, right?"

"I dunno, Mere. I have work…That's actually why I'm calling. I don't think I can make it tonight. Sorry."

Attempting not to let her disappointment reveal itself in her voice, she reassured, "Oh, it's fine. Work can be time-consuming sometimes."

Sam sighed, and apologized. "Meredith, I really am sorry…I just…I'm not sure if it's going to work out between us, you know?"

And that officially marked Rejection #67. For months now, Sam had been repeatedly ditching Meredith on nearly every single date—always using some excuse, or admitting that he just didn't want to go…It was getting tedious, and Meredith wasn't sure how much more rejection she could receive. That night could've possibly set their relationship on good terms—but, of course, Sam had to ditch at the last minute. _Again_.

"Meredith…you still there?"

Meredith winced, whilst holding back tears. Sam couldn't know she was upset; if there was anything worse than having someone reject you, it was having them date you out of pity. And, in spite of her wanting Sam to know how incredibly depressed he was making her, she knew that his sympathy would never get them in a _real_ relationship…one where he actually _loved_ her.

Sam took the silence in the wrong way. "Alright, well, I'll let you think that one over. Thanks for understanding." Before Meredith could say a word, she heard the immediate _click_, indicating Sam had hung up. Frustrated, Meredith slammed her phone back into the receiver and slumped miserably in her chair. "Why me?" she moaned. "Why couldn't I just date a nice, normal guy for two years, get married, and have kids?"

Meredith glared at the picture that dated back nearly seven or eight years ago. _He_ was in that picture. _He_ was the one who insisted that they remained friends. _He_ never asked her to prom, nor did _he_ have any intentions to. Why should _he_, when _he_ had _Snow_…when _he_ had Miss. I'm-In-Love-With-Vladdy-kins. Just thinking of that miserable and heart-breaking day nearly caused Meredith to sob freely. But she held it in. She had to stay strong—if not for a person, then for herself. Vlad was then, and Sam was now. Sam was nice…

_But Vlad was _everything.

Meredith mentally smacked herself, and cursed her brain for all the saddening memories that she tried to place in the back of her mind—all the unwanted memories that she tried so desperately to forget.

She considered taking off work, when a teensy knock sounded from the door. Still contemplating her decision, she called out to the unknown visitor, "Come in!" The knob turned, and the door inched a crack. From the small opening, a blonde head poked its head in, and green eyes met Meredith's brown ones. Meredith glowered and warned, "I swear to God, Chloe, if you're coming in here just to mock me…"

"I'm not, I promise," Chloe stated, taking that as a sign to come in. She shared a solemn knowing look and said, "He can't make it to the date tonight." It wasn't a question.

Sighing, Meredith shook her head dejectedly. "Nope. And he didn't even give me a chance to say anything about it."

Chloe walked to Meredith and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay…he's not worth your time anyway. My words of wisdom: Dump him… before _he_ dumps _you_. Therefore, _he'll_ be the one looking like a fool, not you."

Meredith plastered a half-hearted grin on her face. No matter how bad the damage, Chloe always seemed to know what to say—even when there was nothing to be said.

After a few moments of silence, Chloe offered in a gentle tone, "How about you and I take a trip to New York City today? It's not far off—maybe two to three hours away. You up for it?"

Meredith mulled over her answer. She wasn't necessarily in the mood to visit 'The City That Never Sleeps'. In fact, she wasn't really in the mood to do _anything_, with the exception of moping around like a pessimist all day…But maybe The City would elevate her spirits and distract her. God only knew how much she needed a break from all the stress in her life. Between trying to search for cover-page stories all the time and tolerating her horrible boyfriend, she was about to admit herself into a mental asylum.

She came to a decision. "When do we leave?"

Chloe grinned—excited Meredith actually went along with her, for once. "Right about…now!" And with that, Chloe pulled Meredith to her feet and shoved her towards the door.

"Chloe!" Meredith complained. "We can't take off work _now_."

"Too late." Chloe smirked. "Already arranged it. "

_She's impossible…_Meredith thought to herself as Chloe rushed her through the office to the exit of the building. By the time they were situated in Chloe's car and ready to leave, Meredith was about to kill herself. _I can't believe I'm committing myself to this…Oh _joy.

"Good thing you carpooled with me today," Chloe commented. "It would've sucked if we had to come pick up your car later."

"Whatever," Meredith grumbled—already regretting her decision. "Let's just go."

Chloe shook her head. "You're such a lost cause. You do know most people would _die_ to go to NYC, right? ...Yet, here _you_ are, _complaining_ about it."

Meredith merely shrugged. During her younger days—in high school—shopping, New York City, texting, and all those stupid, petty things were the highlight of her day. Key Word: _Were_—as in, the past. Strangely enough, she slowly lost interest in her usual activities shortly after Vlad broke up with her…

"Hey, Meredith?"

Meredith dismissed her thought and responded, "Yeah?"

Chloe bit her lip, hesitating. "Actually…never mind, forget it."

Meredith sat up straighter and demanded, "No, you had a question—now tell me."

Chloe shook her head. "It's not important, don't worry about it."

"Chloe, if it wasn't important, you wouldn't be making a huge deal of not telling me. Spill."

For a few minutes, silence ensued. The atmosphere was already slightly uncomfortable, and Chloe ended up making it worse.

"I just…I dunno…I wanted to ask you about the picture of that guy you have in your room. You know, the teenager—the emo one? "

Meredith stiffened.

"…Not to be nosy, but you never mention anything about your past to me…and, well, I'm curious. So, who is he?"

Meredith bit her lip. Chloe was her best friend. Over the course of the past few years, Chloe was always there when she needed her—_always_. Chloe was the one person who Meredith knew she could trust…if she couldn't trust Chloe, then she couldn't trust _anyone_.

She sighed and answered reluctantly, "If you _really_ want to know…He was my old boyfriend in high school," Chloe snorted, "But…I really liked him. And I mean, _like-_liked him_._ I seriously thought we had something going."

She paused, but Chloe didn't interrupt. "Anyway…" Meredith continued, "Vlad—my old ex-boyfriend—randomly dumped me one day…and, that was that."

Chloe stared at Meredith as if she had ten legs.

"Meredith…" she began slowly, "You _do_ know it was just a high school crush, right?"

Meredith shook her head stubbornly. "No, Chloe. It was more than that."

Chloe rolled her eyes in disbelief. Meredith couldn't really blame her—on the outside looking in, it certainly did seem like some pathetic, little crush in high school. But Meredith knew better. She knew how deep her and Vlad's bond used to be. She remembered how he had been the only person ever to run through her mind. She remembered how he had always tried to understand, how much more compassionate he was compared to other guys. She remembered his mysterious ways, and how she had made fetal attempts to figure him out. She remembered those strolls at the park, the cute late-night dates that were more romantic than any plain old restaurant or movie theatre. She remembered how Vlad always put others before himself, and how he had stood up for anyone who was being bullied. Forever, he had been her knight in shining armor. She loved him…and, as much as she hated to admit it, couldn't let him go.

"Okay…so…what happened to him? Where is he now?" Chloe questioned.

Meredith inhaled deeply, and didn't respond—_couldn't_ respond. After Nelly died, Otis stopped visiting, and Henry disappeared, Vlad started to lose himself. Back then, when he had already rejected Meredith, he would go to Snow, the local goth from the other part of town, for comfort. It was only a few weeks after prom that Vlad left without notice, he never attended graduation. And what was worse, Snow left with him.

"I…I d-don't know, Clo," Meredith quietly stuttered.

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_**Important author's note**_**: I apologize for the lack of events in this chapter. You readers are most likely wondering how Nelly died, what happened to Otis, and where Henry disappeared to. **

**I can't say anything now—but I **_**can**_** tell you all that everything will be answered…it might not make sense at first, but by the next chapter you'll catch on.**

**By the way, one of you asked if the servant from Chapter 1 was Henry. My answer: No. It was just a servant. He doesn't really provide much of a purpose, he's just…well, **_**there**_**. You'll see. As I said—it's a bit confusing at first.**

**I know this chapter wasn't written well…In my defense, I had the entire thing written out…and then I realized that it didn't fit in with the plot. So, I had to rewrite the **_**entire thing**_**. I wasn't too happy—I like the original one better, but it's too late now. Plus, this one will make more sense.**

**And just a heads-up: Point of views will be changing throughout. I'm sorry if it's annoying, but I have a reason for doing so. Next chapter: Henry's POV. :)**

**Before anyone asks—no, Chloe isn't going to be a major character. I'm not sure if anyone shares the same dislike for OCs as I do, but—I can assure you—OCs aren't my thing. They're only there if they need to be.**

**Oh. A small tidbit of info: I wrote this **_**way**_** before ELEVENTH GRADE BURNS came out. So, let's all pretend EGB never happened. Get it? Got it? Good.**

**Sorry for such a long author's note. ;-). I'm only doing it this once, so I have all explanations out of the way.**

**~Amanda**

**P.S. Anyone know a beta, or would be willing to beta for me?**

**P.S.S. I'm open to any opinions or criticisms.**


	3. Chapter 2

**SisCo Kid: **_Thanks for understanding with that XD. Yes, I suppose it is the "story of us writers"…By the way: When are you updating your stories?! ESPECIALLY __Dreams__? I'm dying to know what's going to happen next! D: Come on—I'm desperate here!_

**Zeva: **_I know it's confusing, I'm sorry for that! Believe me, you WILL find out! Just another question that will, eventually, be answered. As the plot unfolds, you'll understand everything that happened._

**VladTod Fan: **_Hmm…Sounds interesting. Maybe after this story's done, I'll make a one-shot based off of what happened between D'Ablo and Vlad that made Vlad go all Koo-koo._

_Also, thanks to_** HannahBella, SimonGirl, Goldengreaser, **_and_** Blaze **_for reviewing before. You have no idea how encouraging it is :)._

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**Date: September 1st,****2019.**

**Time: 3:01 PM.**

**Location: Classified.**

"…And that concludes today's report! I'm Meredith Brookstone, and you're watching CBS2 News!"

The 25-year-old man clicked the T.V. off, and buried his face in his hands. Otis was right, Meredith didn't change a bit. Sure, taller, slimmer, more confident…but she was still Meredith. Anyone who attended Bathory High couldn't miss her. One look at her face would allow them to recognize her.

From what he gathered and researched, Meredith was presently a news reporter—and not a bad one at that. She was sort of single, her relationship with a guy named 'Sam' turning on and off in a recurring pattern. Apparently, she lived in an apartment in Bathory—go figure—and had a pretty average life. She currently had no pets, no children, and her parents visited from time-to-time.

He ran a hand through his handsome, brown, messy hair, and grabbed his cell phone off the table, making one of his infamous snap-decisions. He dialed a number, and waited for Otis to pick up. After two rings, he heard Otis' strict voice on the other line say, "Did you find anything on the girl?"

Smiling, the opposite man joked, "Hello to you too, Otis."

"Henry, I'm being serious."

Rolling his eyes, Henry retorted, "Really, would it kill you to just call me, and see how I'm doing?"

"Henry…" Otis warned.

"Alright, alright! I found some info on Meredith," he surrendered. "She has an on-and-off boyfriend, a full-time job—"

"Henry, you _know_ that's not what I'm asking for."

Henry paused, then said, "You know, it'd be nice if you'd quit complaining. Why don't you find out yourself? I mean, come on, while you're running and chasing bad guys, in on all the action—I'm stuck down in the basement of an abandoned building in the middle of no-where!"

Otis sighed, and softly responded, "…It's protocol. Do you have any idea what will happen if Vladimir were to know you were alive—"

"Yeah, yeah; I'm aware" Henry remarked bitterly. "I'm his drudge—he'll command me at will. I might die. Yadda, yadda, yadda. He'll enslave the human race—didn't we discuss this already?"

Otis didn't say a word: a sign that he was angry.

Heaving a guilty sigh, Henry said, "Okay, I'll deal. I'll try to dig up some more info on her. It's not easy hacking into government files, in case you didn't know."

"That's the spirit!" Otis encouraged cheerily. "I'll bring you back some food, later. When browsing through some confidential stuff, _try_ to be inconspicuous. Who knows what chaos will ensue if our location is exposed—"

"Yo, dude, lay back on the vocabulary. I don't care if you're a former English teacher, I'm still 25. I'm supposed to be, like, partying and getting drunk."

Sarcastically, Otis responded, "I'll make certain to bring beer."

"I'm sure you will."

"Before I leave, have you read the newspapers, lately?"

Henry furrowed his eyebrows. "No. Why?"

"Vladimir's minions are becoming more and more active by the day. The police have already noticed a pattern in recent killings."

"I thought you said Vlad only controlled humans so they could bring in his food. What's with the large demand?"

"I'm not sure _all_ of his minions are human."

Henry froze—finally grasping what Otis was trying to get at. "You're not trying to say…"

"That Vladimir is recruiting vampires to join his army? Why, yes, I am."

Henry shook his head. The idea of Vladimir convincing vampires to follow him was insane! He already had hundreds of drudges working for him—which was a _huge_ breech in Elysian law—there was no way the Elysian Council would allow him to gain control to vampires, as well.

"But the Council—"

"Are too petrified to do anything about it. They already witnessed what happened to Emma…"

Henry paled a bit. Just thinking of that horrible day nearly made him wet himself.

"So, they're not too thrilled on having the same done to them," Henry finished.

"Exactly."

"What do we do?"

Otis sighed. "I'm trying to figure that out as we speak. We can't send in _our_ troops. It'd be too great a risk. I'm not launching a bunch of children into battle, just to have them all perish for no good reason."

"Otis, they're not kids." Henry reasoned. "They're more than willing to risk their life for the good of humanity and vampirekind. Even the slayers are eager to join forces with us. You saw how determined Joss was when—"

"Henry, I'm very well aware how much our group wants to save the world and play Superman. Our obstacle is, Vladimir is too powerful. Vikas and I together couldn't take him on. And that's only Vladimir alone—imagine going up against hundreds of thousands of people—human and vampire alike."

Henry's face flushed in anger. "That doesn't matter! The point is—"

"The point is that it's too dangerous. I'm not fighting with you, Henry. I have other things to worry about. Go about with what you're _supposed_ to be doing, and I'll do the same."

Otis hung up, and Henry huffed. "Geez, someone has an attitude problem…" He considered calling Otis back, then realized with great dismay that Otis was right: throwing themselves at Vlad was a waste of time—Vlad would take them all out without even lifting a finger. Not to mention with D'Ablo on his side, teaching him, and guiding him more and more to the dark side, Vlad was increasing in power with every passing day. They had to be sure it was an even match before challenging Vlad and his military.

Henry grumbled as he forced his lazy butt off the couch and walked through the empty hallway, deprived of décor. Heading towards the workout room, occupied with tons of weights and exercise machinery, Henry stretched his body, and shrugged off the drowsiness. "Well," he said to himself, "Might as well try to pass the time." Not that there was much of a choice. What is there to really do when you're stuck in a stupid, boring basement?

Henry stepped up onto one of the treadmills, and boosted the machine up—steadily increasing his pace as the machine slowly sprang to life. Brainless Otis was forcing him to remain inside the House Of Boredom, while Henry was thirsty for action—more than ready to step up to The Pravus and spoil all his plans to dominate the human race. He knew precisely what Vlad was capable of and how severe the consequences could be if Vlad were to discover him…

And, yet…

_It's been pretty much five years, and Otis _still_ insists on me staying cooped up inside this hellhole. Why the hell can't I do something for a change? Vlad's never gonna find me—he's too busy sitting in his evil lair doodling over his 'Plans to enslave the human race' notebook._

Henry ran for fifteen minutes, and then decided he should do research on Meredith. Not that he wanted to. Really, how the heck could _Meredith_, of all people, help take down the Pravus, and bring back the _real_ Vladimir Tod? Plus, Otis was at no right to take away the normal, average life Meredith had…the life that Henry could only dream of.

Henry's cell phone rang from the other room. He shut the machine down, racing to pick up his phone afterward. He stumbled with the keys, and finally answered.

"Hello?" Henry greeted breathlessly.

"One more thing, Henry."

Henry groaned. "What now?"

Silence followed…then, "Watch your back. Eddie's in town."

Otis hung up before Henry could say a word.

* * *

**Author's Note: Pay attention to the dates. They actually do change every now and then.**

**It's hard writing a fanfic when it takes place about 8 or 9 years in the future. Not only do you have to catch up with all the characters, but you have to explain what's going on, while at the same time, making it tie in with the story so that it makes sense. Not an easy task. **

**Regardless, I hope things are becoming a bit easier to understand. Each chapter is slowly, but steadily, revealing more info.**

**Constructive criticism and reviews are appreciated, as always.**

**-Amanda**


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